vncnus Chapter 14 Informant Ge Haikun
Chapter 14 Informant Ge Haikun
The aroma of steam wafted from the stalls in the heart of Fuyun Road. Amidst the rising steam, Yan Shuo held a rough porcelain bowl and slurped up the scalding soup. Sitting next to him was the rickshaw driver, A-Kun—Ge Haikun.
Ah Kun was a typical Shanghai rickshaw puller: lean yet sturdy, wearing a worn-out felt hat with a drooping brim, thick, messy eyebrows, and small, slightly yellowish eyes. Beneath his high, straight nose, his chapped lips were always half-open, revealing a few uneven teeth.
He parked his rickshaw by the roadside, and as soon as his bottom touched the low stool of the stall, he eagerly picked up the bowl and slurped the wontons into his mouth.
"Any news these past two days?" Yan Shuo asked in a low voice, picking up a piece of wonton with his chopsticks and putting it into his mouth.
Ah Kun quickly glanced at the passersby eating breakfast around him, chuckled, and mumbled through his slurred speech, "Yes, I'll tell you in the car later!"
"You little rascal." Yan Shuo was amused by him, raised his chin at the boss, took out a banknote and handed it over, pointing at Ah Kun, "Another bowl, for him."
"Thank you, Brother Jie!" Ah Kun mumbled the thanks with his mouth full of wontons, without even looking up, and continued to eat voraciously.
After finishing his wontons, Yan Shuo got into A-Kun's rickshaw. The rickshaw rolled over the stone-paved road, turned into several quiet alleys, and finally stopped in an abandoned courtyard without a door. The place was overgrown with weeds and had broken walls, but its advantage was that it was secluded and deserted, so he could speak with peace of mind.
Ah Kun parked the car, shook off the small stool in the corner, and dusted it off. "Brother Jie, have a seat." He then went into the dilapidated house behind the yard, pulled out a worn-out notebook from a hidden compartment in the wall, and handed it over. "This is all the information I've collected over the past two weeks."
Yan Shuo took the notebook and carefully flipped through it page by page. It was filled with all sorts of information: which street had more plainclothes agents, which trading company had goods coming in and out at night, and even the addresses of the taverns frequented by Japanese officers.
He glanced up and saw Ah Kun standing beside him rubbing his hands together. He pulled a thick roll of banknotes from his pocket and tossed it to him: "Go buy some meat, wine, and vegetables. We'll have a drink today, brothers."
The roll of banknotes was at least half a finger thick; it could easily hold three tables for four people, let alone a table of food and drinks. Ah Kun's eyes lit up instantly. He grabbed the banknotes, stuffed them into his pocket, and grinned, "Hey! Brother Jie, wait here!" He then turned and ran out of the yard in a flurry.
After a hearty meal, Ah Kun led Yan Shuo to No. 16, Lane 11, East—only about 200 meters from where Yan Shuo kept the phone monitoring device, not too far, not too close, and with a good signal.
After getting out of the car, Yan Shuo looked around to make sure no one was watching him, then winked at A Kun: "Come on, give me a hand." A Kun immediately walked to the base of the wall and stood firm. Yan Shuo stepped on his shoulders and tumbled into the adjacent yard.
Suddenly, a large yellow dog darted out of the yard, baring its teeth and barking fiercely at him. Yan Shuo was prepared; he pulled a beef chew stick from his pocket and tossed it to the dog. The dog picked up the chew stick and looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Be good and use it," Yan Shuo waved his hand, and the dog actually wagged its tail and ran off.
He walked around the yard, but there was no one in either the front or back yards; it seemed the owner had gone out.
Yan Shuo pushed open the window and entered the room. Following the direction of the power lines, he climbed onto the roof beam and dug a small pit in a hidden corner, just big enough to fit a surveillance receiver about the size of a mahjong tile.
He took out a thin wire, connected it to the power cord, and then cleaned up the sawdust around the pit, leaving no trace.
After finishing, Yan Shuo ran to the wall and imitated a cuckoo's call: "Coo-coo." A few seconds later, Ah Kun responded with a "coo-coo" from outside the wall. He climbed over the wall, got into the rickshaw, and patted Ah Kun on the shoulder: "Come on, let's go to the movie theater. I'm not taking any more fares today. I'll show you around."
"Okay!" Ah Kun was overjoyed. He pulled the car and ran towards the movie theater, his steps becoming much lighter.
The movie theater was showing "Modern Beauty." Yan Shuo wasn't particularly interested in the blurry shots and clichéd plot; he was just killing time and mainly wanted A-Kun to relax. But A-Kun was completely absorbed, staring intently at the screen, and even after the movie ended, he was still there, basking in his own reverie.
"Let's go, don't linger." Yan Shuo patted his head and pulled him into the rickshaw.
Ah Kun snapped out of his daze, pulling the cart while turning back to ask, "Brother Jie, where to next?"
"Find a place where we can talk."
Ah Kun already had a plan in mind. He pulled Yan Shuo straight to the Lido Nightclub—he had long wanted to experience this high-society venue. Yan Shuo looked at the brightly lit nightclub sign, then at Ah Kun's expectant eyes, and said nothing, leading him inside.
The nightclub was filled with loud music and flashing neon lights, and dancers in gorgeous costumes swayed and twisted on the dance floor.
Yan Shuo found a secluded corner to sit down, and the waiter quickly brought over a bottle of whiskey, several wine glasses, and a fruit platter.
Ah Kun, dressed in the coarse cloth clothes of a coachman, sat on the soft sofa, looking somewhat awkward and unsure of what to do with his hands and feet.
Yan Shuo pulled a fairly decent Zhongshan suit out of his bag (actually a spatial ring) and tossed it to A-Kun: "Go to the restroom and change into this."
Ah Kun was stunned for a moment, then quickly grabbed his clothes and ran into the bathroom. When he came back after changing his clothes and washing his face, he looked completely different—the Zhongshan suit, though not expensive, fit him well and was neat, making his features stand out and giving him a handsome appearance.
Yan Shuo poured him a glass of wine, then took a couple of sips himself, chewing on the watermelon from the fruit plate.
Ah Kun took a sip of his drink, mustered his courage, and leaned close to his ear, saying loudly, "Now you can talk! It's so noisy, no one can eavesdrop!"
Yan Shuo rolled his eyes and leaned close to his ear, his voice extremely low: "Do you have any reliable brothers? Male or female, introduce me to a few. The work is a bit more dangerous than yours, mainly keeping watch, guarding the door, relaying messages, and passing on urgent information. The pay is high, but they have to be reliable, or people will die."
Ah Kun's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a serious expression. He pondered for a long time, gritted his teeth, and looked up at Yan Shuo: "Brother Jie, I know you're doing the right thing, working for the country. Let me introduce you to a few of my childhood friends, absolutely reliable! Some had their families killed by the Japanese, some had their sisters violated by the Japanese, and others had their entire fortunes robbed by spies. They all have a grudge against the Japanese and their collaborators, and they're not afraid to die!"
"Alright." Yan Shuo nodded, his tone becoming serious. "Arrange for me to meet them one by one, and I'll take the suitable ones. But you have to make it clear to them that this is a life-or-death job, and they've come voluntarily. If they become traitors, they know the consequences—the methods of the Military Intelligence Bureau's anti-traitor squad mean that at best you'll die, at worst your whole family will be implicated!"
"Got it!" Ah Kun nodded emphatically. "Brother Jie, I'll contact them in a bit?"
"No rush, let's play for a while first." Yan Shuo waved his hand, his gaze suddenly drawn to a man by the dance floor—the man had a dark red badge floating above his head, and his Chinese name was Lü Heng.
Lu Heng was of medium build, with a slicked-back hairstyle, a well-tailored suit, a dark red tie, a white handkerchief peeking out of his breast pocket, and shiny black leather shoes. He looked every bit the upper-class young master, with a carefree demeanor and slightly upturned peach blossom eyes that revealed a hint of unruliness and cunning.
Lu Heng turned and walked towards the restroom. Yan Shuo put down his wine glass, lit a cigarette, and observed him discreetly.
A few minutes later, a Japanese man entered the restroom—Sasaki Masao, 38 years old. He deliberately dressed as an ordinary businessman, wearing a finely crafted dark gray Chinese-style long gown with simple cloud patterns embroidered on the collar and cuffs, a black melon-shaped hat, sharp and alert narrow eyes, a high nose, tightly pursed lips, and a neatly trimmed light beard. At first glance, he appeared to be a shrewd businessman, but the military bearing in his every move was undeniable.
"Damn it, they dare to cause trouble right under my nose." Yan Shuo cursed inwardly, told A Kun he was going to the restroom, and got up to walk towards the bathroom.
The restroom was empty, and Sasaki Masao was washing his hands at the sink. Yan Shuo walked up to him, and in the instant Sasaki bent down to wash his face, Yan Shuo swiftly pulled a short knife from his waist, plunged it into Sasaki's neck, and twisted his wrist, severing the cervical nerves.
"Shh, dizziness is normal." Yan Shuo lowered his voice, did not draw his knife, and slowly pressed his head into the sink, turned on the tap, and the blood was instantly washed away by the water.
Sasaki Masao made a few faint "hoarse" sounds in his throat, and then fell silent.
Just then, a civilian with a white label pushed open the door and saw Yan Shuo helping someone to "wash their hair" at the sink. He glanced at the person curiously.
"I've had too much to drink, I'll wash my face and sober up," Yan Shuo explained with a smile.
"Hey, it's common!" The commoner, who had seen many drunk people, didn't pay much attention and went straight into the cubicle.